Saturday, 14 December 2013

After a long walk to freedom, Tata Mandela has ended his journey. Tomorrow on 15 Dec 2013, we lay to rest our first democratic president at 95 years old, he has certainly walked a powerful walk. We're on the 9th day of the National 10 day Memorial Celebrations, paying respects to Nelson Mandela and his family. The tributes both national and international have been amazing and South Africa has really given the world a show of our character during this time. Did you see the flash mobs tributes? Did you hear we had a fake sign language guy interpreting ALL the congress and guest speakers speeches? Did you hear the entire nation in stadium boo'd our President JZ showing such public dislike and disrespect! Seems that their hate for him overwhelmed their grief in those moments. The crowds praised Obama so much that he couldn't even talk over the noise! Next years election might find him on the toll to run for president in SA, he just doesn't know it yet lol! The amount of personality we have here in SA amazes me. I love this country!!!I was privileged enough to write in the tribute book to the Mandela Family on 11/12/13, & this is what I wrote.

"Tata Madiba, thank you for the life you lived and the legacy you've left behind. I hope we can all pick up your baton in some way to continue to make SA a place of freedom. We love you, you will be missed. "

The following pictures have been taken from twitter and various other places on the internet. link to twitter tributes: http://sqmagazine.co.uk/2013/12/nelson-mandela-twitter-tributes/

Tuesday, 26 November 2013

Today I received the official registration of my new design business "Pocket Book Creatives." Im so super excited that 1. Its official, 2. It means I'm taking myself more seriously, and 3. I'm in business!! To remind myself on the darker days about why Im doing this, Im going to sort of follow a Design Sponge Biz Ladies interviews on start ups. They do it way better, but here goes…

Why did you decide to start your own business? I have always wanted to have my own design studio and "be my own boss" because it seemed so powerful. But now it just seems like the most natural option to continue in my career and life. Im a wife & parent now so my time is pretty limited, and the thought of slugging away for a cause that I may not be so driven about just seems like a waste of precious time. When you first decided to start your own business, how did you define what your business would be?In high school, I had dreams of designing work spaces, shopping malls and bridges. So I went to university and studied Architectural Technology. After couple years of building other peoples dreams, working for very different firms (Arch, Eng, Sport) in different countries, I found myself in this place - excited to start my own business and work on my own dreams! I love everything about creative design, but mostly, i love how functional, intentional architectural design changes peoples lives.

What was the best piece of business advice you were given when you were starting off? Do some thing you really love, or you will be less successful at it. Treat the business part of the business as its own person and never cheat the tax man. Thanks Dad xWhat was the most difficult part of starting your business?Start up money, space (in our then teeny tiny garage unit) and being all alone in a new place!

Can you name the biggest lesson you’ve learned in running a business?Don't be afraid to take on work outside you skill set. You will learn a great deal about you, your business and other people (networking) if you take on a challenge like that. Thats whats actually given me more confidence, doing things I didn't know I could do and being successful at it. Can you name a moment of failure in your business experiences? That feeling of failure when your proposal or quote is turned down by someone who doesn't think you're worth it… esp when you thought you had it made. Yes, hard to get up again from that.

What business books/resources (if any) would you recommend to someone starting a creative business of their own?

Entrepreneur.co.za for business know how, plus its relevant to SA.

Graphicdesignblender.com & Design Sponge Biz Ladies for their helpful marketing & guidance for creative people. Its been fantastic to watch them grow their team using their own principles!

Monday, 25 November 2013

Last week was a bit of a blip… I rearranged my office for the 20th time since we've been in this awesome 19-foetsak victorian style home… Im talking picture rails, dado rails and a pantry just because. And now I'm battling with the wifi, just because the 'dongle' needs constant tlc.

So we're into summer here, and by summer I mean we have all four season in one day! Scorching heat - hang out the washing, billowing wind followed instantaneously by torrential rain - run for the washing, and hail - run for cover, followed by a chilly afternoon and evening. Its pretty hectic on my sinus. Anyhow, here is a delicious snack that is worth the effort. We had it as a meal by adding salad and veg on the side. I call it ...

Bacon, Cheese, Tomato & Chilli Roti Wrap

Ingredients to braise together: (wing it to your taste)Onion - dicedFresh Chillies - enough for a punch, slicedBaby Tomatoes - cubed or halved depending on how big they areMix herb spice Black PepperCayenne PepperGarlic Butter - there is nothing better than garlic butter.. keep that in mind!Braise all on medium heat Fry/Grill bacon separately Warm roti on panFilling: (wing it to your appetite) Cheese - gratedRed & Green Peppers - diced Coriander - chopped Method: Prepare the braised ingredients & bacon first. While warming the roti, flip it once and start adding ingredients leaving the cheese layer for last (because the cheese is the 'glue'). You have to be quick or the roti will burn. Once you close the roti, flip it over for a few seconds. Take it off, put onto plate, chop in half, throw a few sprigs of parsley and a splash of balsamic vinegar on the side, and Bon appetite!

Remember, to make this a full meal, give each person 2 wraps and a greek salad.

Roti is generally an Indian bread made from flour, oil & hot water. Its soo easy to make, more difficult to roll, but if you don't mode odd shapes, give it a try!

Thursday, 14 November 2013

On a trip to Cape Town recently, I was blessed to have 10 days to tour some pretty amazing places. I can totally see why they call it the "Mother City", and the "Cape of Good Hope." Its where all new things come to being.. For example; "Dr Christiaan Barnard, at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, performed the first human heart transplant in the world in 1967. He was also the first to do a heart-lung transplant in 1971". Or maybe; "The median age in Cape Town is 26-years-old, with almost half the population less than 24-years-old".Its the stuff dreams are made of I tell you… There is an indescribable vide of creativity, of possibility, and even though you're exhausted from the days discovery, you get the feeling of "I can't wait to wake up tomorrow!" Rather not sleep, this City doesn't sleep either.

Walking up Signal Hill, jumped the barrier to climb down towards the water… Even more amazing view from here!

The V&A Waterfront: Glamorous Water front, where the Elite come to boat & shop…

V&A Waterfront

V&A Waterfront

South African slang words, made into wooden art.. "Howsit my Bru, Its Lekker in South Africa!"

Camps Bay Beach - Amazing sunsets over the beach

V&A Waterfront again, Ferris Wheel

Salmon Breakfast on Kalk Bay

Walkways up the hill to some amazing dwellings

What Iv taken with me from this trip, is the realization of not knowing enough about our beautiful South Africa. We have an amazing story as a nation, and Iv made it my mission to seek out our South African story. I will post about Pietermaritzburg, we have a compelling little story here in the "sleepy hollow". Chat soon

Monday, 11 November 2013

When I watched Amy Adams "Master the Art of French Cooking" and dear Meryl Streep never give up on her dream, I thought - that could be me... I have a seriously weird attachment to that movie, so much that iv watched it about 70 times. Anyway moving along, what drew me to that movie was its simple yet profound message of really never, ever giving up, and the promise of succeeding when you try!

I love to draw.. I LOVE to draw.. I studied Architecture, graduated with a diploma, worked for a couple of high end practices in 2 countries, and eventually started a small studio from home. I'l post pictures of my studio soon. Im the first to admit, Im not the best designer, and my talents & skills need to be worked on. But I am passionate about design, changing lives through design, and seeing what I draw literally come to life! Im a firm believer that well thought out spaces, make living life so much more pleasurable.

All I'm saying is, there really isn't any reason why I can't do better.

So, what ever set backs there were before, what ever stopped me from following my passion through - (cue dramatic music) there are no more excuses. I may be late for 2013, but I'm well prepared for 2014!